AFC East breakdown

[Dolfan984]

I disagree with the RBs (Bills should be #1 and Dolphins #2, you mention proven guys, then mention Maroney who probably won't even be as good as Brown when it's all said and done)

I completely disagree with your LBers. NE's linebacking core is in shambles IMO. They have absolutely no depth.

Dline could go either way, Miami had the stats last year, but NE has the names.

Other than that, good job, of course not everyone is gunna see eye to eye. :)

 

[BwanaZulia]

Wow, last in every category?

How do you sleep at night?

BZ

 

[colmax]

"Very Injury-prone"?! Dillon has missed multiple games twice in his career due to injuries., in over 9 years in the league. He's looking good in camp to date. With a healthy OL in front of him he'll top 1400yds from scrimmage, even while splitting carries with Maroney.

Maroney may not be 'shifty' as you say, but all he has to do is make the first guy miss. Watch out when he gets past the DL. He'll have plenty of big runs this season, bank on it.

Add in Kevin Faulk to that rotation and I think this is the best corp of RB's in the division.

As of last season, yes, "very" injury prone. He is getting up there in age, has been in the league 10 years, and though has looked good in camp and has lost a little weight, is on the decline. Granted, he did still score 12 TDs last year, but the Patsies drafted Maroney for a reason. Dillon claims he's healthier than last season, but he is supposed to say that. Mark my words, Dillon will not be much of a factor this year.

 

[Zeke0123]

Wow, last in every category?

How do you sleep at night?

BZ

Bwan... can say I WISH it was true but its not.. your LBers are good to very good.. I think your O line will be good also.. but as for the rest you will have to educate me a little because from here it looks pretty bad.

 

[ThePats]

Fair AFC East breakdown. I do see a slight New England bias. I disagree on the RB, LB and, Secondary ratings. My adjustments are in bold text.

Running Backs
NE 4 - MIA 4
BUF 3
MIA 2 - NE 2
NYJ 1

If Dillon is banged up, why rate NE high? I believe Brown will produce better numbers than the McGahee and Dillon.

Linebackers
BUF 4
NE 3 - MIA 3
MIA 2 - NE 2
NYJ 1

New England is banged up at LB and lost a starter via free agency.

Secondary
BUF 4
NE 3 - MIA 3
MIA 2 - NE 2
NYJ 1

Agree about Buffalo being ranked high. NE is ranked above MIA because of reputation? Miami has upgraded its secondary from last year, and would rate higher than NE.

These are my adjusted scores:
NE 29 - MIA 29
MIA 25 - NE 25
BUF 24
NYJ 12

Miami 4 in RB's, NE 2??

Umm, Ronnie Brown hes good not much behind that. Corey had a bad year last year, he has a great oppurtunity to bounce back while being healthy, behind him there is great depth with Maroney. Faulk is proven as a decent pass catching RB, good speed and agility. Patrick Pass is a very good runner when healthy. Patrick Cobbs and Heath Evan those two could battle or we'll just have Dillon, Maroney, Faulk and Pass.

Its beyond me that 1 good RB would surpass one of the top 20 running backs ever statistically, a very hyped up rookie who may or may not be as great as they say, a good veteran and a very very reliable fullback/runningback. 4 vs 1. How does that go in the Dolphins favour?

 

[Zeke0123]

Miami 4 in RB's, NE 2??

Umm, Ronnie Brown hes good not much behind that. Corey had a bad year last year, he has a great oppurtunity to bounce back while being healthy, behind him there is great depth with Maroney. Faulk is proven as a decent pass catching RB, good speed and agility. Patrick Pass is a very good runner when healthy. Patrick Cobbs and Heath Evan those two could battle or we'll just have Dillon, Maroney, Faulk and Pass.

Its beyond me that 1 good RB would surpass one of the top 20 running backs ever statistically, a very hyped up rookie who may or may not be as great as they say, a good veteran and a very very reliable fullback/runningback. 4 vs 1. How does that go in the Dolphins favour?

meh...Marshall Faulk is top 5 and close to the same age as Cory and Im not expecting much out of him...Your putting a lot of faith in his "bounce back" ability and Moroney is a much bigger unknown than Ronnie I would put the fins/pats backfield pretty even just with different question marks I like Miami's chances of having the right answers better than the pats but Im a bit of a Homer.

 

[BuffaloSoldier2]

I dont think Miami and Buffalo are that close 25-24.

Aside from that, everything else looks to be 'ok'.

NE having the best TEs in the league is a stretch, and saying Zach is old is well, old. Every team has players who age. But his production has never gone down

Good work though!

Again, not trying to trash talk, but Buffalo came within a point and a nice finish by Sage from sweeping Miami. Buffalo also led New England, Carolina, Miami, and Denver late in games before blowing leads. Maybe this is the sign of a bad team or maybe it is an indictation of how close the NFL is now. But personnel-wise, Buffalo and Miami are very close.

However, certain positions are worth more in football. The Bills may have talented wrs and dbs; however, MIA and NE have more talented offensive and defensive lines. Thus, they appear to be better teams.

 

[BuffaloSoldier2]

Good post, could argue the LB and RB positions, especially ranking Dillon so high, and dissing Zach on solely his age.

You could argue that Dillion is one of the best backs in football and had a bad season, ala Culpepper. Dillion was money in 2004 and was a stud on crappy football teams in Cincy. Adding a first round pick is either great insurance or a nice replacement. On paper, Dillion is one of the most accomplished backs in football and a Dillion-Maroney combo is pretty impressive.

And I don't wanna diss Zach. I have a lot of respect for him. But the rest of the LBs are young. Additionally, this is a really good division for LBs. Spikes-Fletcher-Crowell and Bruschi-Vrabel-Colvin-Beiel ? are some of the top cores in the NFL. But let's agree to disagree. :wink:

 

[BwanaZulia]

Quarterbacks
NE 4
MIA 3
NYJ 2
BUF 1

Agreed. Tom rules and Daunte has the edge over Chad (for now).

Running Backs
NE 4
BUF 3
MIA 2
NYJ 1

Don't agree here. Pats have less options than BUF or MIA. NYJ dead last until the season starts.

Wide Receivers
MIA 4
BUF 3
NYJ 2
NE 1

NE in last? No. With a good QB comes good WRs. They also did well in the draft.

We have the same WR core that got into the playoffs two years ago, so it should bump over BUF.

Tight Ends
NE 4
MIA 3
NYJ 2
BUF 1
[/quoet]

Agreed here.

Offensive Line
NE 4
MIA 3
BUF 2
NYJ 1

Might quible with being last, but won't.

Defensive Line
NE 4
MIA 3
BUF 2
NYJ 1

Probably.

Linebackers
BUF 4
NE 3
MIA 2
NYJ 1

This is crazy. NYJ number 2 at least. Vilma. Enough said.

Secondary
BUF 4
NE 3
MIA 2
NYJ 1

Again, Jets should be up above MIA. Did you forget we picked up Andre Dyson?

Special Teams
BUF 4
MIA 3
NE 2
NYJ 1

BUF #1 is true, but Jets last? We have a good kicker who will going into his sophmore year and a GREAT punter. Also picked up some talent in Tim Dwight.

BZ

 

[B-lo]

meh...Marshall Faulk is top 5 and close to the same age as Cory and Im not expecting much out of him...Your putting a lot of faith in his "bounce back" ability and Moroney is a much bigger unknown than Ronnie I would put the fins/pats backfield pretty even just with different question marks I like Miami's chances of having the right answers better than the pats but Im a bit of a Homer.

I aree with all of your ratings, very good read. The only projection I would add is that Willis and Ronnie will both have huge seasons., and seperate from the rest of the east as far as backs. That is obviously just a projection, but I think Willis will have 1500, not being a homer either. The line will be much improved and he is sleaker, so we'll see? hopefully they use him the right way!

 

[FinFrenzy]

Obviously, I'm a Bills fan. But I got some time to kill and decided to have a little fun. I'm not talking trash and I will try and be as objective as possible. Hopefully, you all will do the same. It is a simple position by position breakdown, where the top team receives a 4 and the bottom one receives a 1.

Quarterbacks
NE 4
MIA 3
NYJ 2
BUF 1
You have to go with the man with the hardware. I'm also assuming that Danute and Chadwick are close to full health. Obviously, this will change when JP matures in his 2nd year as a starter :tongue: , but I think this is pretty fair for now.

Running Backs
NE 4
BUF 3
MIA 2
NYJ 1
Obviously, a lot of Fins fans won't agree. I went with the proven guys. Dillion is banged up, but Maroney is a great pickup. Willis fell off last year but that was more due to a poor oline and shaky QB play. He has rushed for 1,100 yards in both years he has played. Ronnie Brown has a lot of tools but hasn't had to be the lead back since high school. He has to prove he can do it. A tip of the hat to C-Mart because he is a warrior but he is probably done. Their backs behind him are very unproven.

Wide Receivers
MIA 4
BUF 3
NYJ 2
NE 1
I have a lot of respect for Chambers and Booker is a great #2. Not too sure after that, but that is enough for a top rating. Lee Evans has 16 tds in two years and Price has been down the last couple of years, but still has fairly solid numbers for a #2. Look out for Roscoe Parrish from the U. Coles and McCareins are pretty solid, but don't really make big plays. Branch is one of the best in the league but they are really unproven behind him. Add in the fact he is holding out and 67 year old Troy Brown is a #2, that's not too promising.

Tight Ends
NE 4
MIA 3
NYJ 2
BUF 1
New England has the best pair of tight ends in the league. Randy McMicheal has always been underrated. Jolley and Baker aren't great but they are better than Buf right now.

Offensive Line
NE 4
MIA 3
BUF 2
NYJ 1
Personally, I think all the lines in this division are very weak. NE, by far, has the most complete line. I really don't think MIA's is that good but Hudson is a helluva of a coach. Just pray that Bennie Anderson doesn't start for you.:fire:
I think the Bills have definitely improved by picking up starters from the Car and Min. NYJ lost their best lineman and are depending on a lot of young guys. Could be very good in a couple of year, however.

Defensive Line
NE 4
MIA 3
BUF 2
NYJ 1
Seymour and Wilfork are some of the best at their positions in the league. MIA is very good but your DTs are a little weak and the ends are getting older. Gotta respect Taylor though. Schobel is very underrated and Triplett is a good pickup. NYJ lost their best pass rusher and Robertson is very inconsistent.

Linebackers
BUF 4
NE 3
MIA 2
NYJ 1
Again, this is based on the assumption that Spikes comes back healthy. He was a top 5 LB in 2004. Fletcher has lead the lead in tackles since he has come to Buffalo. Crowell is an upgrade over Posey. Not sure about Bruschi's health, but a very solid core. Zach is a great player but is getting old. Chowder had a good first year but has a ways to go. Not sure who your other LB is. Vilma is one of the best but the rest are questionable.

Secondary
BUF 4
NE 3
MIA 2
NYJ 1
Buf has the best pair of corners in the divison. Probably will be starting a rookie at SS and Vincent is old but solid at free. NE doesn't have big names but they get the job done. Mia's secondary is probably the biggest question mark on the team. Will Allen replacing Madison? Not sure about that one even if Madison is getting older. Maybe 3 new starters. I'll be honest that I have no idea who is even in NYJ's defenisve backfield.

Special Teams
BUF 4
MIA 3
NE 2
NYJ 1
Probably could have broken this down more. Buffalo has the best special teams unit in the league that last two years (best punter, good kicker, and Pro Bowl punter ). Mia probably has the best kicker in the division and NE is always solid. The NYJ again are very unproven.

Obviously, this isn't an exact science but these are my final scores:
NE 29
MIA 25
BUF 24
NYJ 12

This doesn't mean crap in the big picture but just wondering what our rivals are thinking. Don't be too cruel. :cooldude:

That looks very good except, on LB's if Bruschi is out NE should be last.

Special Teams NE should be last now, they don't have a kicker. Gramatica is trash and their rookie is unproven.

 

[Tailgater]

BUF #1 is true, but Jets last? We have a good kicker who will going into his sophmore year and a GREAT punter. Also picked up some talent in Tim Dwight.

BZ

I keep hearing about this great punter the Jets have. Why? Because he's australian? Because he's old?

At best, he's the 3rd best in the AFC East behind Moorman and Miller. Perhaps he'll improve with more experince, but nothing he did last year puts him close to the others yet.

 

[ThePats]

Agreed. Tom rules and Daunte has the edge over Chad (for now).



Don't agree here. Pats have less options than BUF or MIA. NYJ dead last until the season starts.



NE in last? No. With a good QB comes good WRs. They also did well in the draft.

We have the same WR core that got into the playoffs two years ago, so it should bump over BUF.

Tight Ends
NE 4
MIA 3
NYJ 2
BUF 1
[/quoet]

Agreed here.



Might quible with being last, but won't.



Probably.



This is crazy. NYJ number 2 at least. Vilma. Enough said.



Again, Jets should be up above MIA. Did you forget we picked up Andre Dyson?



BUF #1 is true, but Jets last? We have a good kicker who will going into his sophmore year and a GREAT punter. Also picked up some talent in Tim Dwight.

BZ

LESS Runningback option? The Pats have the most...Dillon, Maroney, Faulk, Pass. 4 decent backs if not better for some of them, thats a lot more than any of the other three teams.

 

[Cuban Dave 9]

I keep hearing about this great punter the Jets have. Why? Because he's australian? Because he's old?

At best, he's the 3rd best in the AFC East behind Moorman and Miller. Perhaps he'll improve with more experince, but nothing he did last year puts him close to the others yet.

Damn, when people start praising a team's punter...They must not have many good position players on the team.

 

[FinFrenzy]

Damn, when people start praising a team's punter...They must not have many good position players on the team.

Didn't even realize it, but how true.